The Melody of Birds
by FromFlowersToAshes
Summary: One of these day's she'll be able to hear the birds again... but until then she has to handle a hyperactive wolf boy and his destructive girlfriend who wants to kill her. Great.
1. Chapter 1

I never really wanted to move… I never really wanted half of the things that have happened to me happen, but they did anyways. It's almost as if fate has some score to settle with me. I can't complain… I am grateful for what I have… but I still am left to wonder what I could possibly have done to deserve what has happened to me so far.

I was a city girl by heart, I hate to admit it. I have always wished that I was a nature girl… don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the beauty of the earth… but I was better at roaming the busy cities of New York rather than hiking up the forgotten pathways of the mountains. I would have to change though, and I was prepared for it. Of all times, now was the best to change.

I used to live in New York… I loved it there, I had friends… and I _had_ a family there. Sure… I might be a bit accident prone… and I wouldn't exactly call myself street savvy, but I loved it there. I loved how I could go out and hear the birds still singing through the bustle of the city. It represented hope in dire situations. I had to stay strong like the birds. I had to stay strong… If the birds could sing above the screams of the city then I could too.

I was moving to Forks Washington. I had never heard of it until now. I never would've imagined myself here… I wouldn't have told you that I would be here but… my parents were never nature people, they loved the city as well. But, when they died, I had no choice. I was put into an orphanage for about a month… which was odd, because I'm seventeen years old! It was torture knowing that I was only a year away from freedom, but I was stuck in an orphanage!

Anyways, after two months of surviving through the orphanage and the horrible food, a woman came in… I will never forget the day I saw Ms. Q. She was like a saint… her tan skin glowed through the sweat of the people around her. She was there because she needed water and was feeling faint… but her eyes caught on mine. Her hands flew to her mouth and she couldn't pull away her brown eyes from mine… neither could I.

She walked towards me, one arm outstretched. Her wrinkled hand touched my cheek as a tear leaked through my eye… it rolled down my cheek crashing against her palm. "What is your name?" asked Ms .Q. Her voice shook and crackled with old age.

"Melody…" My voice sounded as if it had many more years on it than it truly did. She took her hand away from my pale face and walked off towards the front room. I was left standing there, leaning against the dirty wall in a shadow. Half of my face glowed while the other half was shroud in darkness. I looked to the cracked mirror next to me and I saw the fire again.

My face was surrounded by fire again… I whipped my head away, more tears crashing down on my cheeks. My parents died in that fire… the same fire that left me with a scar on my arm that will never leave. I glanced down and I saw the pink puckered skin creeping up my arm like a disease. I shook my head, clearing it of the screaming that echoed through the flames of the fire.

So… now I am sitting in an old beat up car with Ms. And Mr. Q. They were from Forks and were Native Americans… I couldn't help but feel a bit awkward around them… it had been only a week since the day in the orphanage when I first met Ms. Q… and her husband wasn't too thrilled with her idea of adopting me. I could feel a bit of hatred seething from him towards me. I tried my best to ignore it as I listened to Ms. Q explain what was happening in her broken English. "You are going to live with us now… You will like it here. It is beautiful. We live in La Push reservation, and that is where you will live too. You will like it here." She kept on repeating how much I would like it… It made me a bit nervous. I nodded to what she said.

"You ain't gonna get into no trouble, are you? You one of those hooligans I see runn'n round here?" grunted Mr. Q. I shook my head no as he spoke. I was indebted to them for taking me out of the orphanage… I couldn't hear the birds in there anymore… it was such a sad place. Either way, I was never really the hooligan type. Even while my parents were alive and I lived in the most dangerous city in America I wasn't a partier. It hadn't appealed to me much… I would much rather stay home and paint…

I really do love to paint. It's so much easier than words. I've never been good with words… Never ever. My parent's death had made it that much harder to articulate what I was thinking and what I wanted. I wanted to thank Ms. Q, I wanted to crawl on the floor at her feet and cry to her about how much it hurt. How much it hurt to know that I will never see my parents again. And Mr. Q… I just wanted to ask why he hated me without knowing me… I doubted he even knew my full name. It was Melody Barber. I don't know what my name is anymore… Is it Melody Qua'an or is it Melody Barber?

We pulled into a nothing town… After the hours of driving and the hours of flying I was grateful that we had finally come to a civilization!!! I watched out of the glass window intently, taking in my new surroundings. I couldn't help but wonder if they had Chinese food here… probably not.

We passed through the town in about the equivalent of two minutes, where we came upon a small town. It actually didn't even constitute as a town. I watched curiously as men brought in fish from the ocean… and women were shopping and gossiping. There were a few children chasing each other around playfully. I sighed softly, I wasn't sure what to expect… I guess I knew now.

We all stopped at a small house that looked more dead than alive. As if on cue, a piece of wood fell from the roof just as the engine was cut. I tried to keep myself from grimacing… "Here we are!" said Ms. Q cheerfully. I nodded slowly, a smile on my lips to reassure her. I opened the door and crawled out of the car wearily. I was all too aware of the stares I was getting.

People… didn't seem to welcome me… their eyes glared upon me. I glanced down at my clothes. I was wearing green gloves without fingers and I was wearing a tan jacket that was bought at a second hand shop. It couldn't be what I was wearing… could it? I ran my fingers through my auburn hair, it all seemed okay… sure, it wasn't perfect. But, in my defense I had been traveling for well over a day! My long wavy hair was pulled into a pony tail with a few bobby pins to keep it in place… they weren't working well.

What else could it possibly be!? I ran over myself once more… and then I stopped. I was white… Whites don't usually live on Indian Reservations… I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to block it all out. I couldn't change my skin so I would just have to grin and bear it. I turned around and Mr. Q practically threw my bag at me. I dodged it and he walked into the house without another word. I grabbed my single suitcase and followed them into the house. I stayed silent, it seemed like it would be for my own good.

A boy was standing a bit away from my new home… He was about seventeen from what I could tell… he had short black hair and a tattoo on his arm. I blushed and looked away because he wasn't wearing a shirt… Not that I was complaining… he certainly was in the position to not wear a shirt if he wished to. I thought I saw him grin at my embarrassment, but I hustled inside too quickly to see.

Inside the house it was comfy… a bit cramped… but as I smelt the tea boiling on the stove and I saw the pictures on the wall I relaxed. I took a moment to look at the pictures… most of them were pretty common pictures, but there was one that seemed out of place. It was of a girl that was about seven years old. She had long black hair and tan skin. She was on a swing laughing. It seemed so out of place for the couple's home. The place seemed like someone younger than thirty had never entered the home in many, many years.

Ms. Q led me into a basement. The steps were very steep and I took my time getting down them so that I didn't trip. At the end of the dark steps was a room… a room about the size of a bathroom in some homes. In the room was a bed with purple sheets on them. They were tucked in carefully, just like in a hospital. A dresser stood against the other side of the room leaving just enough space to walk around. Ms. Q looked so happy with it that I became happy too. It was far better than the orphanage… but I couldn't help but compare this new home with my old one… How ungrateful of me.

I gave Ms. Q an awkward hug, but she didn't seem to notice. She showed me how she had cleared out the drawers in the dresser and how the mirror was brand new. I thanked her repeatedly and she excused herself to give me some time… I placed my suitcase on the bed and it bounced unnaturally. I unzipped it and started to place things on my new dresser.

First came a picture of my parents. My mom and dad were both hugging and they both looked so genuinely happy. I had my mom's hair and my dad's eyes. The smiled at me from the picture and I smiled back at them, unconsciously raising my hand to hold my burn. Next, I had a picture of my friends. They were a bit odd… and I was sure that they would miss me for a while. For some strange reason though, I didn't think that they would put in too much effort to stay in contact with me. Next, I had a singed piece of clothe that I had kept. It was from my old bed.

I then took out my clothes. I had never been into style, so they were rather plain. A few blouses of different colors and a few sheer tops to cover them. A few pairs of jeans were also packed with them, along with some jackets. I had also packed mittens, scarves, socks, and underwear. I folded each article and placed them neatly into the dresser slowly. The last things to be unpacked were my toothbrush, my hairbrush, some perfume, and a stuffed animal of a rabbit.

I looked at my room, taking it in once more. I reminded myself to look for paintings to adorn the walls. It was too plain. I could paint something for it, but all I seemed to be able to paint were flames right now. It would end soon enough… just creative stifling.

I had lived here for about a month now. School was out for the summer, so I didn't have to worry about that anytime soon. People had gotten used to a "pale face" running around. I had even gotten a few kind people to say hello. That was on a good day. Ms. Q seemed happy with me, talking to me about the town gossip. It took everything in me to keep up with her chatter. Mr. Q hadn't warmed up to me yet… the only time we really spoke was when he asked me to pass him the salt at dinner time.

I was walking around… I had taken a liking to the beach. It was very inspiring. Too bad I couldn't see past the flames. I had grabbed a stick to walk with. I was using it to draw in the sand as I walked… it was chilly here, even in summer. The waves lapped up at my drawings, disintegrating the fact I had even been here. I hadn't seen that boy around much… every time I did all I could do was blush.

I heard a bark from behind and I saw a small mutt run towards me. He had a bum eye that was closed permanently. I liked him. He was different, just like me. We both had the scars to prove it. I hadn't been brave enough to wear a short sleeved shirt out yet, I was too self conscious. "What shall we do today?" Asked I to the dog. He seemed puzzled over my question. "What do you say we explore today!?" The dog nipped at my jacket as if to say yes. "Let's explore the woods. They look like they could be fun."

I walked off, deserting my stick in the sand along with my aimless drawings. I started to walk through the overgrown plants, trying not to trip on them. It was harder than it looked. I hummed a tune to myself, nothing particular. I was trying to cheer myself up, not that I was terribly unhappy… I wasn't sure how to feel in a time like this. I reminded myself to start using words soon; otherwise I would forget their meanings. Talking to a dog did not count.

I hummed some more, and then I heard rustling behind me. I turned around, but nothing was there. I continued on my way. It made me a bit nervous… I hadn't taken into account that there would be other things exploring too. I could only hope that they weren't looking for someone like me. I shuddered, but pushed that thought out of my mind. The rustling started again and I glanced behind me. I had stopped humming by now. The cold had reached my bones by now. The dog had stopped as well, the hair on its back standing up a bit.

I grabbed a nearby stick tentatively. If I was going to get killed, I wasn't going down without a fight! "Whoever's there, you'd better come out now!" I tried to sound convincing. I didn't know if it worked… I was rather tiny and not really intimidating. I prayed that a miracle would happen and I wouldn't be put on the missing persons list any time soon.

Another bit of rustling and that boy stepped out of some bushes. He wasn't wearing a shirt… again. I blushed but I didn't lower my weapon. I was ready to fight. He was grinning and he seemed to be enjoying this immensely. "Don't take another step!" I warned. "I will… hit you!" I gripped at the stick with sweaty palms. He took another step towards me and I swung blindly. I heard something crack and I opened my eyes. I was only holding half of a stick. "What!?" I stood there in shock holding the half of a stick. My eyes rose to his in awe.

"I don't think that worked…" said the boy. I tried to focus on his eyes, but his body was a bit… distracting. I could feel heat rush to my cheeks. He got a bit closer to me and I was left with nothing but my fists to defend myself. I put up both fists like I had seen in boxing movies. "I wouldn't try that one either…"

"Why are you here!?" My voice shook, unfortunately making me sound even feebler.

"You were the one who said that I had better come out." He shrugged his muscular shoulders. "Just taking orders." I didn't lower my fists. I wasn't sure about him. I couldn't be sure…

"What's your name?"

"Jacob. Yours?"

I debated in my mind whether to answer or not. I wasn't thinking straight as I answered. "Melody." He started to take another step, and before I could even tell if it was towards or away from me, I swung my fists which crashed down upon his chest as if they didn't affect him. He caught up my hands in his own where they were disabled immediately.

"Don't test me." His voice had changed from a playful tone to a serious one. My breathing quickened as did my heartbeat. I was standing there alone with a boy that had me at his will. The dog had run off a while back, traitor. How had the tables turned from me holding a stick to him holding me!?

"Try me." I spat in his face, if I was going to go down… I might as well do it in flames. All of a sudden his grip tightened on my hands and then they were on my shoulders, shoving me against a tree.

"I said don't test me! God damn it, how hard would it be to listen!?" His nose was inches away from mine. My green eyes bore into his. His muscles pressed into my body, but I ignored it. He seemed to be going through some internal conflict. My sleeve had drooped around my elbow exposing my forearm. His eyes caught on my burn and he grabbed my arm, examining it. Had he never heard of personal space!? "How'd it happen?"

"How'd what happen?" I let bitterness flood my voice. How dare he look at my burn… I had spent my entire stay here trying to hide it.

"The burn." He seemed curious now. He had some real mood swings…

"It happened in fire…" I wanted to stop there, but the words didn't stop there… they kept on going. "My parents died in it. I nearly died in it." He grasped the still fragile burn a bit too hard and I let out a gasp. He didn't hear me as his grip got tighter and tighter on my arm. I yelped and finally he looked up, he had gotten out of his trance.

"Sorry…" He backed away. "Forget that ever happened. He then disappeared into the woods, leaving me standing there clueless. The dog had come back, now that he was sure the danger had left. I looked down at him and said, "Wimp." He seemed to understand what I was saying because he averted my gaze. I looked back into the woods, "Jacob… You're really odd. You might even be odder than I." It was more of a question than a statement, as if I thought he could still hear me. I shook my head and started to head back home.

I made a mental note not to tell anyone about what had happened. No need to worry Ms. Q and no need to enforce the fact that I had the potential to be a hooligan to Mr. Q. That, and the fact that what had happened felt private in a way… as if I had shared something that no one else had ever shared. I shook my head, I was going crazy.

Dinner time was always a bit awkward… Mr. Q refused to acknowledge me and Ms. Q tried desperately to make it all normal for me. I really appreciated all of this, but why would she adopt me if she knew her husband would hate me? It didn't make sense… I tried not to think about it, I just tried to stay out of the way. This was one of those times I wished I could speak… If I could, I would spark up a conversation that would enthrall both Mr. Q and Mr. Q. Too bad the only things I had to talk about what the little dog that followed me (of whom I decided to name Rocky) or the fact that the boy named Jacob had assaulted me in the woods.

I slumped in my chair a bit and took a deep breath. I might as well talk about something. I don't know why I said this, but it slipped out in my desperate attempt for conversation, "I met a boy named Jacob a few days ago…" The clink of silverware stopped.

"Jacob Black?" asked Mr. Q in a grave voice. I nodded. "You are to stay away from those no good hooligans. You hear me? You will just end up getting hurt." I thought I heard him mutter something else under his breath.

"Why?" I almost had to kick myself for continuing the conversation. I must've lost some serious logic and reasoning skills…

"Why!? Because, they… they are… Just do as I say!" What wasn't he telling me!?

Ms. Q said something to him in a language I didn't understand, but her tone was a bit wary while it warned him… I sat there dumfounded. "Why can't I talk to him!?" I slammed my fork down. Why was I defending him? Most likely so that I still had something to defend. I clung onto the fact that I had something to actually fight about now. "I am a good girl. I haven't done anything wrong! Why can't I speak to him!?"

"Because, you will just end up in a coffin!"

"A coffin!?" I shook my head. "I am not going to die! I've already escaped that one!" I stood up, angry. I pulled on my jacket and glared at them before barging out of the door. "Why can't I make friends here!? He's the only one that didn't glare at me because I'm a pale face!" And with that, I slammed the door. I got outside and it was already darkening considerably.

I wanted to cry, but I couldn't cry there… I could never cry in public. The tears would never come. I walked to the beach again, letting the tears soak my face. I brought my shaking hands up to my eyes, to attempt to dry them. Oddly, I hadn't cried since I had moved here. Everything just came rushing back to me so quickly…

The burning… that smell of smoke filled my nostrils once again as I sat there on the beach sobbing. I heard my mom screaming for me to run! I did what she said, but I got caught somewhere… And I must've fainted because the last thing I remember is the blinding light and the screams of my mother telling me to get out. The next thing I knew I was in the back of an ambulance speeding to the hospital. My lungs felt like they had been burnt to a crisp and they made a funny noise when I tried to breathe.

I stared out at the beach, trying to catch my breath. I felt Rocky at my feet, nudging my hand. I smiled hopelessly and I scratched him between the ears. His eyes grinned at me happily. I stared back out at the setting sun slipping beneath the waves. It was really dark… I wish I had brought a light or something, I would have a tough time getting home.

I could hear the waves lapping up at my feet… I kicked off my shoes and welcomed the cool water. My entire body burned with anger. I heard something besides me. I turned and Jacob was standing there, without a shirt. I was sure that I was the only person alive that would complain about him being half naked… with a body like that, I must've lost quite a few brain cells. "What do you want?"

"Just saying hi…" He sat himself besides me without an invitation. I didn't dare let my eyes look at him.

"Well, hi, what now?" I was so bitter. How dare he interrupt this!? I had just finished defending him and I wanted to cry…

"Why are you crying?"

"Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't." I paused and let myself glance at him. His gorgeous body was lit up by the moons reflection on the water. He looked very in tune with the earth. I pictured myself… I was sitting there, my pale skin lit up by the even paler light, making me look translucent. My green eyes would be nearly incomprehensible in the darkness. My hair was let loose and it hung around my face in auburn waves.

"I just got finished fighting with my new parents…" I wasn't going to tell him that I was fighting about him. The word "new" felt horrible on my tongue. I wanted my old parents. Another tear slid down my face.

"They're good people…" said Jacob. I nodded. I couldn't deny it. "But, I doubt they make good substitutes for parents… they are a bit unorthodox when it comes to parenting." He leaned backwards. I sat there silent, listening to his breathing. I shivered a bit under my jacket. I felt him get a bit closer, but then retreat back to his original place on the sand.

All of a sudden, I became aware of where I was and with whom. I was sitting on a deserted beach with him again… I was putting myself in horrible situations. I stood up quickly, "I-I-I have to go." I whipped around and started walking aimlessly down the beach, trying to squint in the darkness so that I wouldn't trip.

A gust of wind sent me backwards, and when I squinted in the wind I saw a person towering above me. "Jacob? Is that you?" My eyes caught on a pair of eyes that shone in the darkness.

"Hey, Jake, you always do pick out pretty ones." His eyes hadn't connected with mine yet, but I knew it wasn't Jacob. His voice was lower and he seemed more threatening. I took a shaky step backwards. "Don't even think of running." Jacob had appeared next to me in moments. I could feel the heat from his body. I tried to stop shaking, but with both the cold and the boy in front of me weren't helping.

"What do you want Paul?" asked Jacob.

"You know why I'm here. The rest of the pack is too scared to tell you, but I can't just let you break the rules like this. You can't imprint on two girls."

"I haven't." Jacob seemed really tense… I didn't know who the person was in front of me, but I didn't like him much. I felt the odd need to protect Jacob once again.

"Sure you haven't, but remember I know what you're thinking. And to all of us it seems you've imprinted twice." His head cocked to me. "What's your name?"

"M-M-Melody." I tried to sound strong.

"Renesme and Melody. Come on man, you've gotta stop breaking rules. You have to have one imprint mate."

I stepped in between the two. "I don't know what you're talking about, but stop it! Why the heck are you both arguing!?"I felt the boy who's name was Paul grab my hand roughly.

"You really don't know what you've got yourself into." The bastard seemed to be enjoying watching me squirm under his grip.

"Paul, stop it!" yelled Jake who was there trying to break Paul's grip on my arm. I thanked god that it wasn't my burnt arm. I doubted even Jacob could stop what he was doing, his strength seemed like it had no end. As I thought that, my arm was released from his death grip.

I stalked towards Paul angrily. "Who do you think you are!?" I raised my hand to slap him and brought it down as hard as I could against his face. It didn't have any affect. "Oh my…" I muttered. An explosion happened in front of me and soon Paul wasn't the one standing in front of me anymore, it was a wolf. He pounced on top of me, the nails piercing my shoulders. I screamed and thrashed around trying to free myself.

I was going to die. I knew it… no one could get me away from this wolf. But, just as I thought that, yet another wolf pushed the grey one off of me. The new wolf was brown and his eyes were oddly familiar. The two wolves tore at each other. I couldn't see much, but the snarls were enough. I grasped my wounded shoulder and the blood soaked my fingers. I didn't know what to do… "Jacob…" I whispered out for help, but there was no way anyone would hear me over the snarling of the wolves.

I heard a small bark and I saw Rock advancing on the fight scene. He looked very determined as he ran straight into the brawl. I ran to him, trying to stop him but I was too late. The little dog was in that huge fight somewhere. I stood motionless for a moment before running straight into the fight.

"Rocky?" I cried out, desperately. If I was going to die, then let it be. I would much rather die early with cause than old by something as simple as old age. I grabbed the little dog that was shaking, I didn't know whether he had been hurt or not, my hands were already soaked with my own blood so I couldn't differentiate between the two. I threw him from the brawl and got caught under a heavy paw. I didn't know who to scream for…

Blood rushed into my mouth and I crumbled into a ball. I knew that there was more blood… I didn't know what was happening though. The paw disappeared and I was in the arms and I was really warm… really, really warm. It reminded me of the place I nearly died… the fire… but I wasn't afraid anymore, I was tired. So tired. I let my eyes drift close, but I couldn't fall asleep… I couldn't give up. I had to hear the birds again.

I looked up to see who was holding me. It was Jacob… Not him again… I thought back to what had happened… what did Paul mean about Jacob imprinting on two different people? Who was Renesme? All the thinking was giving me a throbbing headache so I stopped with the questions in my head. I saw Jake's eyes looking at me. Despite myself, I grinned up at him, blood trickling down my chin.

He smiled, but his smile was full of pain. I hoped that he wasn't hurt too. I could handle this. I could handle anything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hiya! Er… I realized I didn't say anything on my first chapter so here it is! I hope that everyone enjoys the story, I may change it to M… I'm not sure… I hope that I can keep my readers either way!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

Light… So bright… I squinted my eyes to the painful sun. I took in a breath and moved my hands towards my eyes. Where was I? I couldn't remember what had happened last night, but I remembered pain… I opened my eyes fully to the blinding sunlight, gasping softly. It was so pretty… I was staring out a window looking at green… Green trees, green grass… I could see the blue of the sea wailing in the background, the waves crashing over each other, begging for attention. I felt the corners of my mouth turn up slightly at the sheer beauty of the forest. It was then the memories came back slowly.

The pain in my lips reminded me of the giant paws crashing down on my face, filling my mouth with my metallic tasting blood. I could still taste it in my mouth… I could feel a throbbing on my chest where my rib cage was. I could only imagine what else was wrong with me, but at the moment those were the two things that hurt the most. I could almost picture my battered face, small cuts adorning my porcelain skin. I looked down to decipher how bad everything was… Whether I would have to tell Mr. and Ms. Q about it or whether I could handle it on my own.

It was then I realized I wasn't in my room. The walls were wooden and old, but smelled warm and comforting. The floor had an old rug on it. I wondered silently how long it had been there. There were small weavings of wolves on the edges of the rug, they were chasing each other. There was a single light bulb hanging above my head and a small lamp next to me standing on a wooden end table that had chips covering the corners. I then took a moment to look at where I was sitting… which was in the middle of a bed covered with warm brown blankets. I sat there, stunned. Where was I? I hadn't seen this place ever before… and I wasn't sure if I was safe or not. Where was Jacob? I remembered him carrying me… and then it went black. I shuddered at I looked at the sheets, wondering what possibly could've happened while I was unconscious.

It was then I noticed that I wasn't wearing a shirt. It had been replaced by white bandages wrapped tightly around my torso. I took in a shaky breath, trying to remember. I couldn't… I could barely remember when I had been conscious… even that was foggily swimming in my mind somewhere I couldn't find. It was as if I had misplaced everything that had happened… My memory was so full of holes that I could barely form a coherent thought. I was shaking as I desperately tried to remember, had I done something I would've regretted?

The door creaked open and a shirtless Jacob walked in slowly, as if he was gauging my reaction. "How're you feeling?"

I grabbed the sheets to my chest, the bandages were a bit revealing and it wasn't something I wanted him to look at! "What happened? What happened to me? And where am I!?" My voice was tense and strained with worry, it didn't sound like my own.

"You hurt yourself… and…" He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "You passed out so I brought you here?"

"And?" I braced myself for what else must've happened… the evidence was there… I thought… I didn't really know anything, I was just assuming the worst.

"And?" He looked at me curiously.

"And then what did I do?" I clutched at my handfuls of sheets nervously, my hands were sweaty… I could feel my fingers dampening the sheet.

"You passed out after smiling at me… How you could smile at a time like that, I'll never know." He sat down on a seat across from the bed.

"And that's all?"

"Yeah… I brought you here to fix you up…" He started blushing, "I wasn't the one who took off your shirt, it was Emily… I promise." I sighed a sigh of relief, I had only passed out. Thank god… I remembered smiling, oddly enough… I remembered being held… By someone really warm… I remembered… I remembered that guy called Paul who exploded into a wolf, which was very strange… and I remembered… Rocky! Was he still alive!?

"Rocky! Where's Rocky!?" I flipped my legs out of the bed and stood up only to falter and fall back down quickly. Jacob was there in only a second, he caught me gently. "Where is he?!"

"Sit down! You can't walk just yet!" He set me down, but I was fighting to get up.

"Rocky! Where is he?" My only friend… Yes, it was a dog, but he was who I talked to. He was the one who kept me from going crazy…

"The dog with one eye?" asked Jacob. "He's downstairs, lapping up the attention." I sighed and flopped back down on the bed, grateful that my one act of heroism wasn't wasted… He was okay… Thank goodness. He was what I could protect. I had lost my parents because I hadn't stayed back to help them… I ran… Even though my mum told me to run, I should've stayed. I should've died too… and now I had to protect Rocky. Piss off about protecting myself, I barely mattered anymore.

Jacob threw me a big shirt. I caught it uneasily. "Put that on… You should come downstairs… Emily's been dying to see what you're like."

"I hope I don't disappoint…"

He laughed, "I doubt you will." I blushed a bit.

"Thank you Jacob…" I said softly.

"Call me Jake."

"Okay…" I muttered as I threw the shirt over my head as quickly as possible. I stood up slowly, waiting for my balance to come back to me. Once I had a good footing I made my way down the creaky old stairs. What had I gotten myself into now?

I tottered down the stair case after a long ordeal of learning how to walk with stairs again. I nearly tumbled a few times, but I caught myself by the skin of my teeth. I didn't want to announce my presence by falling and breaking something. That would be just perfect… ugh…

I walked into a kitchen… Jake was sitting there sharing a muffin with Rocky who was begging at his lap. Another boy who looked older than Jake, but was the same size, stood up next to a woman who had her back turned away from me. And then there was another one who was much younger, maybe fifteen. I was yet again, the only white person. By now, I had gotten used to the scorns… I prayed that they wouldn't see me different too. Jake turned to me and gave me a reassuring smile. I forced my lips to curve into an uneasy smile. I wasn't sure where I was… It was so scary!

I took a step and the youngest one turned to me, smiling. I waved nervously, my cheeks were burning. "Hi there. Your name's Melody right?"He was tall and mostly limbs, but he still had muscles. His eyes were also smiling so I decided that if I needed to, in a time of desperate need as in if everyone in that room jumped me, I could trust him… sort of…

"Er… yes…" I was barely audible. I was concentrating on just breathing.

"That's Seth," Jake didn't even look up while talking, he was teasing Rocky with a scrap of food. Rocky was running around in circles begging. I smiled again… what else could I do? My tongue was stuck… Where was my voice when I needed it? I didn't have a problem talking when that guy, Paul, was threatening me! Maybe I should become a mime… that sounded safe.

The woman turned around to face me, I was looking at the ground… I owed her a lot, from what I heard from Jacob… She bandaged me up while I was losing a lot of blood. I took in a deep breath before I looked up to meet her eyes with my own.

Her eyes were so beautiful. They were the type that many girls would die for. She had brown eyes that smiled. They glittered with honesty and happiness… They weren't dull, they weren't able to die from sadness, they powered through. Once I finally stopped standing there like an idiot I said a small "hello…" She just smiled, I think she understood… If I had to guess, I think Jake filled her in on my life, or at least what he knew from our small talks.

She had a scar on her face… I let myself wonder where it came from. She reminded me of my mom… That scar represented struggle and regret… but I couldn't sense any struggle or regret… all I could feel was warmth. How could she be happy like I tried so hard to be? She had it worse… She had a scar stuck on her face for all to see, while I was complaining about my own… One that wasn't always visible like hers. I felt so selfish…

I reached out to her, as if I was a zombie. In that instant, all I wanted to tell her was that we were the same. I wanted to show her I had one too… And that I still thought she was pretty, because behind all that happiness I knew everyone was scared. So scared…

But before I could make it, I felt a hand on my throat pushing me into a wall. I heard Emily scream and I felt a warm body… It was the man standing next to her holding me against the wall. Seth was struggling to get him off of me, as well as Jacob. I thought Jacob would explode, his face was bawled up in anger. What had I done?

"Do not stare at her." Snarled the man who had his hand around my fragile throat. I clawed at it, my lungs screaming for air.

"Let her go, god damnit!" yelled Jacob.

"Let her go!" I heard Emily cry… It was all getting blotchy…

I got some air down my throat while he was adjusting his hold on me. He could probably crush my neck… I choked out, while holding up my scarred arm for all to see, "I have one too… I just wanted… *gulp* her… *cough*… to know… *gasp* she was… still… *cough*… pretty… to me…" and then I blacked out.

I woke up yet again, in the same place… looking out that window. Although, this time I wasn't alone. Emily was sitting on a stool next to me. Her face was tranquil… I just looked at her… Blank.

"You awake, eh?" Her voice was soft, weary even. "Are you hurt?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry… I just wanted to…"

" I know…" She looked at me with pity. I didn't want pity… "I know… Sam… He means well… He didn't realize…"

"I'm sorry…" I turned my head away.

"Silly, don't be sorry. I know what a scar means… I know how you got yours… They tie people together sometimes… I remember when I was your age… I hid my scar for a while, because it was a mark of failure…" She sighed a bit. I sat up in the bed. "But… In the end, I don't think I would give my scar away… it makes me who I am." I didn't really respond. "You know… I think that Jake may have something to tell you that I can't…. I would like to, because it would make a whole lot more sense of things, but it's not my place…"

"What is it?" My voice pleaded.

"I can't tell you, silly! Didn't I just say that?" She smiled at me and I was compelled to smile back. "All I know is that you mean quite a bit to Jacob… and you are in for the ride of your life soon…" She sighed and her hand absent mindedly went up to touch her scar. "I had to fight him to get him to go back downstairs for a while, he didn't want to leave." She laughed a bit to herself. I thought it odd… I barely knew Jacob… Why would he care about me, of all people. I meant nothing.

I took in a deep breath and thought… Of all people, Jacob found a wallflower of a girl who was trying desperately not to be seen by anyone… He saw me when no one else bothered to look… and I was so grateful, because even though I pretended to be annoyed by his shirtless presence, I didn't really mind him being there… He saw past the gawky girl with a scar… And thought he saw someone worth saving…

**Okay, now, about what I said with changing the rating to M… well, I kindaaaaaa have a sexual theme I would like to incorporate into the story, if anyone's wondering if it's going to be tasteful or not I can answer that right here. It's going to be tasteful, because I think that the characters really deserve some manners on my part. ^_^ I still am not sure, because I've never written an M fanfic before, so lemme know. =)**

**BTW: Spoiler: Renesme's still here… what will happen when she comes??? DRAMA! Woot woot!**


End file.
